Suck it up! Get on the offensive

This is a discussion on Suck it up! Get on the offensive within the The Second Amendment & Gun Legislation Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; Suck it up! Get on the offensive.
November 13, 2008
Last Sunday I gave callers 30 minutes to whine, complain, worry, snivel, posture, and generally ...

Suck it up! Get on the offensive

Suck it up! Get on the offensive.
November 13, 2008

Last Sunday I gave callers 30 minutes to whine, complain, worry, snivel, posture, and generally go through whatever stages of grief worked for them following the election results putting Senator Obama into the White House. After all, we need time to "process" and "deal with it," don't we? (If you missed the show, you can download it at www.guntalk.libsyn.com)

Are you kidding? Suck it up! I have a plan. Many gun owners are living in a fantasy world, meaning they don't know what's going on, don't know how to put it into perspective, and don't have a clue about what is the most effective course of action.

Note the word "effective." Burying your guns is just plain stupid. It's like volunteering to give your guns to the banners, and they don't even have to take action. Give me a break. What's your plan? Dig them back up when tanks are coming down the street? Yeah, right. Time to quit indulging in fantasies, reach in your pocket for some dollars, and buy a clue.

Defense does not win. Hiding does not win. Only going on the offensive will win. But first, some perspective. I started debating this issue in 1967, but it goes back much farther. I have a copy of an article in "This Week" magazine from 1955 titled "Get Rid of That Gun!" It starts out, "The pistol, unregulated and unchecked, is dangerously out of control. Two thirds of all the homicides committed in the United States now involve firearms." It goes on, but it's the same stuff you read today. That was more than a half-century ago!

Why bring this up? Just to show that this is an ongoing battle. This latest setback isn't the end, but it sure is serious. It does mean that we are faced with certain assault on gun rights, and those attacks are likely to come quickly. We have to launch our own broad-based action to beat back the efforts of those who have detailed plans to 1. ban the sale of the most popular rifles being sold (they call them "assault weapons") and used for hunting, competition and personal protection; 2. remove protections against junk lawsuits against gun makers; 3. close gun shows. Their plans are laid out in the web site the Obama transition team put up only hours after the election. Click Here to view (scroll down to the "Crime and Law Enforcement" section). Go take a look at the plan.

ACTION PLAN

So, what do we do? I've always believed that we ultimately win the gun culture war by showing the public that firearms ownership is normal, safe, and that we gun owners are responsible neighbors. That's still my belief, but we don't have time for that right now. This new group of gun banners (Hey, Obama's chief of staff was the gun control point man for Bill Clinton!) are going to move quickly.

How can we fight it? Simple. We scare them. I don't really care if they respect us as long as they fear us. I'm talking about putting those elected folks in fear for their careers. There are enough elected Democrats in Congress that can be defeated if they vote for gun bans to stop this movement.

How do we do that? I can come up with only one way. We have to double, then triple, the membership in the NRA. Please, don't bore me with the "But the NRA sends me too much mail." Look, you're in or you're out. If you are out, you are part of the problem. If you are in, you are part of the solution. Get off your butt and join. Buy memberships for all the members of your family.

WE MAKE IT EASY

Click the "Join NRA" button above and you can join or buy memberships for others. BONUS! We've negotiated a deal for you. The regular price is $35 a year. You can get it for only $25 a year through our link. Also, you can get youth memberships and associate memberships. That last one is important. Other members of your family might be sharing your NRA magazines, and you may not want to duplicate that, so the associate membership is only $10, and the member doesn't get the magazine.

Why is this important? If Chris Cox, head of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, walks into a Congressman's office backed by three million members, it's one thing. When he walks in backed by 10 million, the reception is totally different. This is pure representative politics. You are sending someone to Washington to represent you. It is the heart of the democratic process in the United States. Right now, the message needs to be clear, and it needs to be backed with political muscle. This is hard ball. It's a knife fight in a phone booth. To lose is to die. We lose our gun rights if the gun banners succeed in the coming battle.

That message we must deliver is, "If you vote for a gun ban, or these other measures, we will send you back home at the next election." Period. We did it in 1994, and regained control of Congress after a 40-year reign by the Democrats, and it was because of their votes for Clinton's gun ban. They need to know we will do it again.

You've heard me say this before. If you are not an NRA member, you are sitting in the wagon, and the rest of us are having to pull your load. We need the help. We need for you to spend the cost of a single box of steel shot magnum loads and join. Then we need you to get your friends to join, or to sign them up.

My new rule. I require everyone I introduce to shooting to join the NRA on the spot. That's right. Hand me twenty-five bucks and I'll go online at www.guntalk.com and sign them up. Anytime someone mentions to me that he or she is a gun owner, I ask if they are an NRA member. If they are not, I embarrass them (if necessary), or do whatever is needed to get them to join.

I'll have more action items for you later, but this is important. This must happen immediately. Sure, you are buying guns, ammo, magazines, etc. So, invest a few bucks to make sure you can keep them!

Why is this important? If Chris Cox, head of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, walks into a Congressman's office backed by three million members, it's one thing. When he walks in backed by 10 million, the reception is totally different. This is pure representative politics. You are sending someone to Washington to represent you. It is the heart of the democratic process in the United States. Right now, the message needs to be clear, and it needs to be backed with political muscle. This is hard ball. It's a knife fight in a phone booth. To lose is to die. We lose our gun rights if the gun banners succeed in the coming battle.

That message we must deliver is, "If you vote for a gun ban, or these other measures, we will send you back home at the next election." Period. We did it in 1994, and regained control of Congress after a 40-year reign by the Democrats, and it was because of their votes for Clinton's gun ban. They need to know we will do it again.

The NRA is not the most 2A orthodox organization out there. They have compromised with the antis when they shouldn't have. BUT ... like it or not, the NRA is the most visible organization to a politician. This is why Gresham's idea of the offensive is so important: other groups (JPFO, GOA, etc.) don't stand a chance of increasing their membership to the level of projecting a security threat to the Congressional seats of gun-grabbers. The NRA does.

Like it or not, with all its flaws, the NRA is the best game in town to represent us on the offensive. Let's give Cox the clout he needs and each give 5 new Associate memberships to friends and family. I've been a Life Member since 1973 and I plan on doing what I suggest to each of you on this Board.

So you (anybody reading) say you are a member of the NRA but, Are you sure? Have you checked your card lately and see if it is expired? Go check! If it is, go ahead and renew now!.

I rejoined the NRA about 3-4 months ago after a little hiatis (financial problems, recently fixed). I get the magazine part every month, still waiting on my membership kit that I was told 2 months ago was in the mail.

Any contact info on who to call would be appreciated. I will continue to support the NRA any way I can.

Good post by Tom (I've met him a couple of times, lives nearby) and he makes a GREAT point. I've been a life member, all of my family is pro-gun, but they all aren't NRA members. I'll be buying NRA memberships for them this upcoming Christmas. Heck I don't blink an eye to buy a case of bullets, so I can swing the memberships.

Another suggestion. If your state has a 4-H Shooting Sports program, volunteer. I don't care what anyone says, it's going to be our kids who get us out of the mess our generation has gotten us into. Nearly every county in the US has a cooperative extension office administered by that state's Land Grant college. Here's the URL for Ohio's 4-H Shooting Sports program Ohio 4-H Shooting Sports . The idea is not to turn kids into competitive shooters, although in some instances, it's been a great stepping stone, but rather it is intended as a vehicle to teach them life skills - communications, teamwork, responsibility, etc. The NRA (and say what you will, it's still a heck of a good organization) provides grants to groups starting and maintaining shooting sports programs. And I've had a number of our kids join NRA, as well as their parents. It's a great opportunity to show parents that those of us who shoot and teach shooting sports are not three headed demons bent on Rambo like destruction of the surrounding countryside. If you really want to make a difference, look into this. Texas has the largest shooting sports program in the US, closely followed by Ohio and, I believe, New York. Yeah, New York. In Ohio, shooting sports is the fastest growing program in 4-H. If anyone wants additional information, e-mail me at divebum@earthlink.net. It's an opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child as well as making a difference in attitude of a lot of adults.

Lots of people join life, many others do it year by year. But what i find attractive and inexpensive is the 1 Year Associate Membership for $10 which carries the same weight as a regular membership but does not have magazine offer in it. It is great for married couples (I got my wife now as a member), siblings, parents, friends, etc, any place that already gets the benefits of a full membership but do not want duplicate magazines and stuff.

You can see that the regular price is $35 but it is down to $25 but instead of saving those $10, invest them in an Associate Membership and you actually get 2 members, two votes and two voices to take to Washington.

Again, have you checked your membership card? Are you still a member or does the card shows your membership has expired?

Ok I signed up my daughter (age 9) for a junior membership, and I'll be adding some other family members as well. The political power of the NRA will increase greatly if it can show a trend of strong growth in membership.